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The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) is pleased to launch the Electronic Warfare Challenge, as a new Themed Competition. Following the ministerial announcement in December 2023 to launch an innovation challenge series under the AUKUS partnership, this competition is the first iteration of AUKUS Pillar 2’s Innovation Challenge Series. The challenge has been trilaterally agreed and is being run as three separate competitions by the Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator (ASCA) in Australia, DASA in the United Kingdom and the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) in the United States. This is the first time that DASA has worked in conjunction with both Australia and the US within one competition, enabling defence to leverage the best technologies available across the three nations for this challenge.

What is AUKUS?

AUKUS is a landmark security and defence partnership between Australia, the UK, and the US to support a free and open Indo-Pacific by strengthening regional global security. Through Pillar 2, AUKUS partners seek to strengthen trilateral capabilities in cutting-edge military technologies, increase interoperability, and drive knowledge-sharing and innovation.

What are we looking for?

This competition seeks innovative technologies that can provide Defence with a competitive advantage to electromagnetic (EM) targeting and protect Defence from adversary EM targeting capabilities. The electromagnetic spectrum (EMS) is a heavily congested, contested, complex and competitive environment, and there is an increasing need for low cost, disposable, high volume and highly autonomous capabilities to maintain advantage over our adversaries.

We are looking for innovation technologies that can be developed and transitioned to improve the following six key elements of the targeting cycle;

1. Find: Identify a target using the EMS.
2. Fix: Identify a target’s location using the EMS.
3. Track: Monitor a target’s movement using the EMS.
4. Target: Select and apply appropriate EMS assets and/or EMS enabled weapon systems.
5. Engage: Apply EMS assets and enabled weapons to a target.
6. Assess: Evaluate effects of an attack using the EMS.

The following capabilities are expected to have the greatest impact and potential for success, these include, but are not limited to:

• Sensors: The ability to increase the quantity and/or quality of sensors in the operating environment that can identify, locate, and monitor targets, and assess any effects delivered against them.
• Closed loop targeting: The ability to employ existing EW sensor data and pre-determined mission parameters to cue and engage effectors at machine speed.
• Electronic Attack: The ability to disrupt, degrade and deny adversary Command, Control, Communication and Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance, and EW (C4ISREW) systems, and EMS enabled weapons systems.
• EMS access: The ability to understand, identify and auto-allocate the EMS, dynamically access the EMS for resilience, stealth and reducing spectrum conflicts against agile adversaries.
• EMS Deception & Denial: EM deception and/or denial to prevent adversaries finding, fixing, exploiting or understanding our emissions or true intent to enable blue force projection and blue force protection.

We are seeking innovation proposals and industry partners that have the ability to innovate and deliver at pace.

Q&A Webinar: 16 April 2024

A dial-in session providing further detail on the problem space and a chance to ask questions in an open forum. If you would like to participate, please register on the Eventbrite page.

Submit a proposal

Do you have an innovative technology that could help provide Defence with a competitive advantage to electromagnetic targeting and protection?

Read the full competition document to learn more and submit a proposal.